Driver pleads not guilty to drunken crash that injured friend

MEDINA — A 33-year-old Medina woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to causing a crash while drunk that seriously injured her passenger last month.

Somsamai A. Yaskowiak, of 370 Springbrook Drive, faces two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, third- and fourth-degree felonies. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison.

Somsamai Yaskowiak

Yaskowiak was eastbound on East Liberty Street and passing through the intersection of North Spring Grove Street about 2:15 a.m. Dec. 29 when she sideswiped a utility pole with a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder, according to a police crash report.

A resident of a home near the intersection and several passersby stopped to aid Yaskowiak and her passenger, a 43-year-old Lockport, N.Y., man.

The resident reported the man had several cuts to his face from broken glass, and the passenger side of the vehicle was “demolished.”

Yaskowiak refused an alcohol test, but police reported a blood test indicated she was drunk.

Her passenger — who was not wearing a seat belt — was conscious after the crash, but reportedly became incapacitated later. He was transported by paramedics to Medina Hospital.

Yaskowiak was indicted Jan. 15 and arrested Jan. 27. She was released from the Medina County Jail on 10 percent of $30,000 bond the same day she was arrested.

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Nick Glunt primarily covers courts and crime in Medina County. He has been with The Gazette since September 2012 and also serves as the newspaper's web editor. Contact him at (330) 721-4048 or via email at nglunt@medina-gazette.com.